Port O'Brien - All we could do was sing.

The cover art is a fitting portrait of the soundscape captured in this album. Nautical themes throughout. I heard these fellers thanks to a Neil Young themed issue of some music mag I fail to remember, the included cd had a five-finger discount(my favorite) with Neil inspired diddies. The only ones that really stood out were them and Bowerbirds.

The album starts out with the title track, a rompous catchy outlet about waking up in a good mood(a staggering feat).

The album flows(literally) between sentimental country-tinged tunes like "stuck on a boat" and "Don't take my advice" but the real show stealer has to be "Fisherman's Son". Ive been listening to that song all week long. Extra geezy just like I like em.

It continues with some Billy Bragg-licks and "Desire"-era Dylan string arrangements. But hey thats just me. If you like the videos check out the album.

All the while I am here I’ll have some liquor and some beer and I’ll wait for another year to come.

David Byrne and Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008)

Described as: "electronic gospel-folk", this is completely different from my life in the bush of ghosts. Great nonetheless, theres even a Robert Wyatt cameo.

Is there such a thing as too much Eno?

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash (2008)

BAPZ!

Why? - Alopecia (2008)

I can't believe i just found out about this album, its been out since march of last year. If you're not familiar with why?, you should be. Look at that cover and tell me you're not intrigued, this is one of those unclassifiable bands, they mesh everything into a delectable pot.


This goes out to all my underdone, other-tongued lung-long frontmen/And all us Earth-growths; some planted, some pulled

Have A Nice Life - Deathconciousness

Deathconsciousness is a 5 year long labor of love from Connecticut duo Have A Nice Life. This is a shoegaze masterpiece, hailed by many as one of the best releases of 2008. This is one of those epic albums that has to be experienced in its entirety, originally released as a double album and included a 75 page booklet which Ive yet to see(if you find it let me know) the budget was a thousand bucks which included recording plus packaging, an incredible feat if you consider the time it took and the grandeur of the material.
The album's cover art features Jacques-Louis David's infamous portrait: The Death of Marat. A very strong statement considering the history of said painting. The music features droning bass lines, screeching goth-tuned guitars and catatonic beats which really steal the show. Their influences vary from Swans to My Bloody Valentine to Joy Division amongst other masters.
Just try not moving with the beat of "Bloodhail"'s chorus line or getting the hair's in your arm to stick up halfway through "Earthmover"

Holy Fucking Shit: 40,000

Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog- Party Intellectuals (2008)

Ribot's "first rock band since high school". Jeez Louise.

"Ceramic Dog
1. chien du faience: expression: frozen with emotion, as in the perfectly still moment before a fight breaks out.
2. Ultimate kitsch object.
3. A free/punk/funk/experimental/psychedelic/post electronica collective, featuring Marc (Cubanos Postizos, John Zorn, Tom Waits, etc etc), plus two of the best young players on the New York/California underground improv/experimental rock scene, Shazad Ismailly (bass) and Chess Smith (drums)
4. Not a 'project': a real band.

"Marc Ribot's new power trio, filled out by the remarkable versatile rhythm team of bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Ches Smith, is his rawest band in ages." (TimeOut NY)"

todo el mundo es kitsch.

My albums of the year.

Here are some of my favorite albums of 08':

Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances

"So there's pissed off youth in Puerto Rico?" It was fitting that Titus front man Patrick Stickles answered my question of whether they would be willing to play in the island with that question of his own. You don't have to be young or pissed off to enjoy Titus' nihilistic yet anthemic songs......but it couldn't hurt.

Like "The Replacements" before they've managed to create an angst ridden record about being young, growing up, and not knowing what the fuck will happen next or if there's even a purpose. It's full of punky, sing along, shout out load moments with raw emotion and energy. Never has existentialism sounded so fun.

Portishead - Third

I like trip hop. Maxinquaye is one of my favorite records of all time. That said, Portishead were never really a band that I listened to a lot. I know that's blasphemy to a lot of people but for the most part they never blew my mind like some other artists did. Because of that I ignored this record for a while. I thought it would be more of the same. It wasn't till months later that I decided to give it a listen and I couldn't believe it. As soon as I put it on my first reaction was: Portishead go krautrock? Wait a minute, Portishead go krautrock and post punk?...... Fuck! Portishead go krautrock, post punk, and industrial? I proceeded to hang my head in shame and feel dumb for ignoring this for so long.

The Bug - London Zoo

Post-apocalyptic dancehall. The world is going down the shitter, we're surrounded by urban decay, and hope seems scarce. At least we can go down dancing. More about it here.

Rounding out my top 10 are:

Grails - Doomsdayer's Holiday
El Guincho - Alegranza
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too
Santogold & Diplo - Top Ranking
DJ Rupture - Uproot

Honorable mentions to: Steinski, Karl Hector & The Malcouns, Nomo, Arthur Russell, and Hercules & Love Affair.

Sandunga Cat:

Well, 2008 was full of apalling trends and bullshit disco releases (kids, you'll never surpass Moroder, Chic and Larry Levan, so just stop) but it also had plenty of good shit hovering around. Let's see:

Kevin Drumm - Imperial Distortion


Noise master Drumm starts to see the beauty among the charred ruins and produces a stark, overwhelming but wondrously beautiful work that hits you strong in the chest.

Arthur Russell - Love is Overtaking Me


Singular proof of Russell being one of the best songwriters of the 20th century, shame we had to realize it on the 21st and 18 years after he died. His country, folk and pop songs still feature his amazing wit, self deprecation and nostalgia for open spaces that feature in other works, but structured within easily digestible formats, they can pack a punch twice as big. Amazing shit.

Sightings - Through the Panama


Andrew WK comes to the fold as producer and provides an astonishing clarity to this trio's uncompromising, punishing sound. Guitars slash your aorta, bass turns your intestines into jelly and drums make the Guggenheim collapse into itself. Music to make you fibrillate.

Valet -Naked Acid


Honey Owens of Nudge and Jackie-O Motherfucker dips her songs into delicious drone bliss, producing a ghostly spacedelia that sounds like it contains the secret of America's dark endeavors. Laudanum for your ears.

And others:

Pinch - Underwater Dancehall
Gas - Nah Und Fern
Braxton/Parker/Graves - Beyond Quantum
The Bug - London Zoo
Aethenor - Betimes Black Cloudmasses
Seun Kuti and Fela's Egypt 80

Honorable mentions to Steinski's long awaited retrospective, El Guincho, Portishead, Grails, A Handful of Dust box, Zomby, Excepter's Debt Dept, Peter Rehberg, Bohren's Dolores, Fennesz's Black Sea and Juaneco y su Combo. Yeah, looking back, it was a pretty good year.